Forbidden Infatuation
by CounterspyTeacake
Summary: When Ayra had accepted an important task given to her, she had had no idea how her life in the Circle would change forever. Hamish Duff, the Templar accused of stealing from the Circle, charms Ayra and they fall for one another. But when Ayra is taken from him, she realises her dreams of a happily ever after are just that; dreams. However, every good tale begins with a tragedy.


Forbidden Infatuation: A Dragon Age Fan Fiction

_Hey guys! So this is the first chapter of Forbidden Infatuation. It is based on an RPG I am working on with my boyfriend and a few other pals. Please review what you think about the chapter and if you're interested in the story at all. Let me know if you find any errors so I can fix those up as well. I have just finished writing chapter two so I want to know whether it is worth while continuing to write this story. Anyway, enjoy! _

Chapter One: The Task

Ayra turned the pages of the old novel, a novel given to her by the First Enchanter himself. It was titled "Mages and the Fade: Spiritual Magic" and Ayra was enthralled by the content hidden within. Since she had arrived at the Circle, Ayra had always been fascinated with spiritual magic and was determined to learn more about it.

She peeked up at the small mirror across the room, sighing at the young elf looking back at her. Ayra did not see the true beauty she possessed, but others did. Ayra considered herself plain, almost 'ugly'. She was petite, to say the least. She held a small figure, but this suited her well. Her hair was a charcoal black colour, and it was cropped short. She had the same grey eyes as her mother. At least, she thought she did.

Ayra had lived in the Circle of Magi for as long as she could remember. Now, being the age of twenty one, she could hardly even remember her dear parents left behind in Denerim. She often kept to herself, and did not have many friends in the Circle. She studied, and she studied incredibly hard; harder than the other Mages she knew, and this was convenient for Ayra as she never felt comfortable around other people anyway. It was the fact that she was an elf and a very anti-social elf that did not make her very popular within the Circle.

To Ayra, all of her hard work had eventually paid off. Having passed her Harrowing, Ayra became an official Mage and she could not be happier. She could now study whichever path took her fancy.

She smiled to herself at the thought, turning another page, before she heard a quiet yet firm knock on the door of her quarters.

She closed the book, quickly noting the page she was reading, before standing and opening the door. It was the First Enchanter, Donall.

First Enchanter Donall was a kind man. Like Ayra, he was very small in size, due to his age. He had grey hair, and his face was wrinkled all over. He looked to be around eighty years old.

"'Lo there, Ayra. How are you this evening?"

"Greetings First Enchanter. I am well, I suppose. Just reading the novel you had lent me just last week. It's a fascinating read, I must say. I have learnt a lot already," Ayra responded, smiling fondly at the First Enchanter.

"That is good to hear, young Ayra."

"If I may ask, what is it exactly you are here for?" Ayra asked.

"Well, if it's okay with you, I was wondering if you would follow me to my quarters. I would like to speak with you in private. If you are not too busy, of course," he said in a polite tone. First Enchanter Donall had always been a polite man.

"Oh, yes. Of course I will. I'm not in trouble am I?"

"No dear. I would just like to speak with you in private," he said whilst giving Ayra a reassuring smile. This instantly calmed her, yet she still felt uneasy.

Ayra gave a small nod before following First Enchanter Donall to his quarters. He closed the door behind her, gesturing towards the seat in front of his desk. Ayra sat down, crossing her fingers on her lap.

She watched as he sat down at his own chair, a sad look on his face.

"You know I trust you, don't you?" He said in a small whisper.

"I should hope so," Ayra replied, awfully confused.

"Well I would like to think that I can trust you with what I am about to reveal to you, Ayra. You cannot tell anyone. Can I trust you with this?"

"Of course," she said.

"There have been rumours spread about the Tower; rumours that a blood mage is among us," he sighed and paused before continuing. "I was wondering if you may have heard or seen anything. If you do know anything, Ayra, I need to know now. It's extremely important."

"I've only heard of these rumours now, sir. But I will keep an eye out and see if I notice anything out of the ordinary," she replied.

"Thank you," he paused for a second time. "I must be honest when I say that is not my actual main concern right now. There are also rumours that one of the Templars is stealing from the Tower, and that is where I need your help."

"Oh?" Ayra questioned.

"You must know that I do respect you, Ayra, and what I am about to ask of you may be seen as a little insulting, perhaps even perverted. I apologise if it is," he said.

Ayra was awfully confused and wasn't absolutely sure about what he was going to ask of her. A small part of her was a little frightened at the thought.

"Hamish Duff, the templar accused of stealing, is a young man, just a little older than you. I need you to become close friends with Angus, see if you can find out whether he really has been stealing. You know what I mean by close friends, yes?"

"Uh… I have some idea. However, if I may ask: why me? Why haven't you picked another female mage?" Ayra asked.

"Here comes the insulting part. I assumed that he would… like the look of you, so to speak. You would interest him, and you have the correct physique for a woman that Hamish would want," First Enchanter Donall looked ashamed, and Ayra felt the need to comfort him but at the same time she wanted to run from the room.

"So what you're asking of me is to seduce this man? I have never seduced a man, nor have I _been _with a man. I do not have the slightest idea of what to do!" Ayra exclaimed.

"Please Ayra… I am begging you. I wish to hit the Templars where it hurts, they see themselves as infallible, and with the reports of a Blood Mage upon us I need to show them that they too can be to blame.

His begging stirred something within Ayra. First Enchanter Donall had always been so kind to Ayra when others had not. She felt as if she owed the man sitting in front of her, and so she agreed.

"Thank you, Ayra. If you do this for me, I will owe you many things. You have my promise."

She could see how grateful he was, and so she gave him a small smile before leaving her seat and leaving the room.

She walked down the long corridor to where her dormitory was, when she heard the First Enchanter call out, "he should be in the library! Again, thank you," before he went back to his office.

Ayra walked back to her quarters and closed the door behind her. She looked out of the window, noticing it was late, and decided she would head off to the main hall for dinner.

When she had returned from the hall, she was confused as to what she should do next. Should she head to the library? Or should she wait? She had no idea. After a lot of thinking, Ayra left her quarters and made her way to the library.

Standing on either side of the main entrance were two Templars. The man on the left had long black hair which went with his overly-large black beard. He did not look particularly fit nor was he very attractive. Ayra guessed that he was around fifty years old. She silently hoped that he was not the Angus whom which she had to seduce. The man on the right; however, was a clean-shaven man with dark brown hair which fell just below his ears. He was a lot taller than the man on the right of the entrance, and it was obvious that the man was incredibly fit, unlike his fellow Templar. Ayra could not help but be enthralled by his dashing good looks.

She decided to approach the man on the right in hope that he was Hamish Duff.

"'Lo there, are you Hamish?" She asked in a polite tone.

He peered down at Ayra, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips. He was very tall in comparison.

"Yes, I am Hamish. May I help you with anything?"

Her heart leapt in her chest, and she tried her best to give him a sultry smile.

"I don't need any help. I was just wondering if we could… talk," she said.

"You would like to talk? I've never had any of the other Mages approach me for a chat before, and let me tell you, talking to Ol' Finley here isn't exactly entertaining," he replied with a slight chuckle.

"I'm not like the other Mages here," she smirked.

Ayra couldn't help but feel giddy. She had never tried to seduce a man before, and it was strangely exhilarating. She had to admit, he was awfully attractive for a Templar.

"I can tell. If I may ask, what is your name?"

"Oh, my name is Ayra. Ayra Zarav," she responded confidently.

"That's a beautiful name," he paused. "I suppose that is fitting for such a pretty young woman such as you," he said, his eyes shining ever so slightly in the light.

Ayra felt herself blush. Who knew that the attention of a man could be so… astounding?

"Actually, I've heard of you. The First Enchanter was telling me how well you had done during your Harrowing. He always speaks of you to us Templars. I think he's fond of you," he said.

"To be honest, First Enchanter Donall is the only other person I speak to in the Circle. I'm not a very social person, to say the least," Ayra chuckled awkwardly, smoothing the back of her hair.

"You're being quite social now. What makes me so different?" He asked, with his brow raised.

"You seem, I don't know, different to everyone else."

"I should hope so. I would hate to be like the other Templars. They can be so cruel to the Mages around here. They treat you as if you're cursed. I don't see your magic as a curse; I see it as a gift. But I could never say such a thing to anyone else," he looked around noticing that 'Old Finley' was giving him a quizzical look.

He leaned in and whispered in Ayra's ear, "especially not Finley. He's a complete bastard."

Ayra and Hamish laughed quietly as he pulled away from her. Ayra could feel slight tingles from where he had whispered to her.

"Look, I have to go now. Perhaps we could talk sometime tomorrow?" Hamish asked.

"I would like that very much. Farewell, Hamish. It was lovely speaking with you," Ayra said with a small grin.

He gave her a lazy smile and said, "Until tomorrow," before walking down the corridor and exiting down the stairs.

Ayra couldn't help but smile as she made to leave for her quarters. She looked at Finley and noticed the look he was giving her. It was as if he was warning her to stay away. She gave him a polite smile before scurrying back off to her quarters.

That night, she laid awake thinking about the events that had occurred that day. Ayra could not remember feeling this happy, and it was a strange feeling indeed. She fell into an easy sleep, dreaming of a man with dark brown hair.


End file.
